Viscofan S A : and Telefónica join forces to equip Spain’s first factory in the food sector to be digitised with 5G technology in Cáseda

Viscofan and Telefónica join forces to equip Spain's first factory in the food sector to be digitised with 5G technology in Cáseda

25/January/2022

Cáseda, 25 January 2022.- The institutional ceremony was held today with the launch of the 5G coverage network stemming from the partnership between Viscofan and Telefónica to equip the former's production centre in Cáseda (Navarre) with 5G coverage, thus making it the first Spanish industrial company in the food sector to use this technology at its factories to advance its digitisation process. This strategy will allow the Navarrese multinational to begin developing its "smart" factories.

The opening ceremony held today was attended by María Chivite, the President of the Government of Navarre, and Juan Cruz Cigudosa, the Regional Minister of University, Innovation and Digital Transformation. The Viscofan Group was represented by its CEO, José Antonio Canales, and Jesús Calavia, the General Manager of Viscofan España. Manuel Ángel Alonso, the Northern Territory Director at Telefónica España, Key Accounts Manager Manuel Herrero and Roberto Mercero, the Director of Telefónica España in Navarre, attended on behalf of Telefónica.

During the first phase Telefónica will distribute 5G infrastructure and connectivity throughout the industrial complex in Cáseda so as to adequately cover all the points. They will be deployed in the 3.5Ghz band. NSA. Similarly, secure accesses will be created between the local network and the operator's network to guarantee the communications.

The initiative has also relied on the cooperation of the Ministry of University, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of Navarre, which facilitated the implementation of the project, provided its resources and, five months ago, declared the project to be of "foral interest" due to its "particular relevance for the economic, social and territorial development of the Community". This planning was included in the "Food Chain" area of the Smart Strategy in Navarre.

With this digital transformation policy in partnership with Telefónica Viscofan is laying the foundations for the implementation of 5G's differential capabilities, including greater bandwidth and network capacity, minimum latency and more capacity for connected devices. These characteristics, together with other technologies such as edge computing and augmented reality, will mean specific uses can be implemented at the Viscofan factory in a second phase starting in early 2022.

Thus, the use cases that will enable Viscofan to optimise its processes and advance towards Industry 4.0 thanks to 5G could include the automation of goods movements, the monitoring of critical elements to anticipate potential incidents during production and remote supervision by means of Augmented Reality.

As Manuel Ángel Alonso stressed: "This project makes Viscofan one of the pioneering industrial companies to implement 5G at its factories and the first in the Community of Navarre as a basis for its digitisation and future evolution towards an increasingly smart and flexible factory. We thank Viscofan for placing its trust in Telefónica to ensure that its plant is a natural setting for the development of 5G, with a deployment that positions it in the field of Industry 4.0".

Jesús Calavia, Viscofan's General Manager in Spain, declared: "The implementation of 5G at our facilities will enable us to advance through our digitisation process even faster, helping us to understand the production challenges we face better and overcome them more quickly and successfully. The technological complexity of our production process, together with our vocation for service and continuous improvement, means that we're constantly seeking to obtain the most advanced technology available. Placing 5G networks a long way away from urban centres is a challenge that Telefónica has been a pioneer in tackling, preventing industry from missing out on the chance to go digital".

President María Chivite indicated that the Government of Navarre "is fully aware of the importance of advancing and making progress to achieve the very best connectivity in our community by incorporating the latest technologies, a path we're working on together with the business fabric, and by promoting synergies and close collaboration so that the digitisation and digital transformation process is as comprehensive, fast and accessible as possible", while Juan Cruz Cigudosa, the Minister of University, Innovation and Digital Transformation, described this project as "cutting-edge" while underlining the importance of the tractor effect that it could bring to industry and, in particular, the food sector in Navarre, given that other companies could follow this practical example by promoting their transformation and digitisation.

About Viscofan

Viscofan is currently the international leader in casings for food products, essential ingredients when it comes to making sausages, cold meats and other foods. It operates in 20 countries on 4 continents, from where it distributes its products to over 100 countries around the world.

Viscofan is listed on the Continuous Market (SIBE: VIS). In 2020 Viscofan achieved income totalling 912 million euros, with a net result of 123 million euros.

About Telefónica

Telefónica is one of the world's leading telecommunications providers. The company offers fixed and mobile connectivity services, as well as a wide range of digital services for individuals and companies. It operates in Europe and Latin America, where it has more than 365 million customers.

Telefónica is a fully private company whose shares are listed in the continuous market of the Spanish stock exchanges and the New York and Lima stock exchanges.